Hey guys, just looking for a bit of feedback on new restaurant idea here in Berlin

Hey guys, just looking for a bit of feedback on new restaurant idea here in Berlin

Hey all, I am currently living in Berlin as a personal chef and have many years in the restaurant industry all over the world and recent events has meant investment in me to open a restaurant here in Berlin! Through talking with friends and family and obviously the investor I am getting some very good feedback, but think it is important to gain feedback from people who are essentially my customers!

The restaurant would be set In the heart of Berlin in a very busy and fairly hipster area surrounded by interesting people, beautiful landmarks and funky art! It would be fairly small and minimilistic with a lovely outdoor area (as here in Berlin majority of people love to enjoy there meals outside)

Out here in Berlin the two things I have noticed about food offering here is it is very international- ie you can get Italian, Turkish, Japanese on the same road. And that people here in Berlin love to socialise and take there time at restaurants over a few glasses of wine! Tapas bars for example do very well in the way everyone shares food and can keep going back for more!

So the price range would be affordable but maybe a little more expensive than the average as would emphasise of fresh local produce and BIO produce which is also massive out here!

So based on this I would like to offer Sharing Platters from around the world as well as a set menu, for example: Moroccan would include- lamb koftas, chicken kebabs, safron chickpeas, charred harrisa ciabatta and dips such as avacado Cream and minted yogurt! Or Greek: Greek chicken, dolmados (meatballs) stuffed vine leaves, zucchini fritters, houmas, tzatziki, Greek salad, olives and breads and oils! There are several different menus from around the world but I guess you get the idea. They will be available in a variety of different sizes and will all be served as beautiful sharing platters that have the wow factor!

Would really appreciate any feedback... Anything that comes to mind really! Thanks in advance Pete

Re:Hey guys, just looking for a bit of feedback on new restaurant idea here in Berlin2013/09/20 11:14:35
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While I like the concept, I think putting a world cuisine menu becomes problematic unless you have a good sized staff and good sized walk-in fridge and pantry. Sticking to one cuisine focuses your panty and prep work. The farther you expand out, the more inventory you're going to have to manage and store, as well as increased prep work and training for the kitchen. If you were to stick to one cuisine you're very knowedgeable in it's still entirely possible to offer a very wide flavor range that has "wow" factor and tighten ups the inventory and prep work.

I just kow when I go looking for , say Japanese, I'm not looking for yakitori or teriyaki sticks that are "kinda" Japanese and tastes like the sauce came out of a bottle and I could do that at home. I'm looking for a house make sauce, grilled over charcoal, and a flavor WOW factor that screams authenticity. It's tough enough to do that within on specific cuisine type. Now try to do that with five types at once. If it were my money and my reputation on the line I would focus focus focus first on one (maaaaaybe two) cuisine types, tighten up the menu, then expand after that. If you're competing with a Spanish tapas place a block away that does nothing but tapas really well, you're putting yourself in a tough spot if your tapas look nice but you're shortcutting so you can also offer 3-4-5 other cuisine types.

Just my thoughts from one foodie to another. Trying to embrace and do too much from the start is a tried and true path to disaster. No one wants that, certainly not you and your investors. Start small and manageable, expand as success allows you to. We all know the lifespan and turnover of startup restaurants.

Re:Hey guys, just looking for a bit of feedback on new restaurant idea here in Berlin2013/09/23 23:48:36
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I second war toad. hey war toad I'm in the horse pistol in Minot. As far as a restaurant I would have in Germany would be BBQ but you have to know how to do it right.otherwise american foods like catfish, a real burger, etc.